Sunday, February 4, 2018

You may have been hearing a lot
about #JLWthrive105 this year, but there’s another number that is also
important, and that’s “Impact 2022.” The Junior League of Washington (JLW)
rolled out the latest Strategic Plan earlier this year, called Impact 2022, which
will be implemented and tracked over the next five years, from 2017-2022. This
plan is the frame by which JLW moves its mission forward, develops the
potential of its members, trains volunteers, and improves the DC-area community.

What are the priorities of the Impact 2022 strategic plan?

Impact 2022 has three overarching
themes to maximize the League’s impact:

Impacting
our Community – Junior League of Washington is an active, vital community
partner, strengthening the Washington metropolitan area.

Impacting
our Brand – Junior League of Washington heightens its brand by leveraging its
105 years of service.

Impacting
our Internal Sense of Community – Junior League of Washington has an
invaluable resource in our volunteers, and strengthened cohesiveness results in
increased community awareness.

The 2016-2017 Strategic Planning
Committee, under the leadership of Chair (and current President-Elect) Tycely Williams
and Vice Chairs Carolyn Lowry and Tricia Winter, developed the plan by convening
monthly roundtables; analyzing the results of the annual membership survey;
reviewing other AJLI affiliates’ Strategic Plans; and assessing progress against
JLW’s current five-year plan. The Strategic Planning Committee worked alongside
JLW leadership and the Board of Directors to identify and prioritize goals to
move JLW’s mission forward. The result is Impact 2022 – a framework to help
advance the League’s goals each year, encourage strategic thinking and
collaboration, develop League members, and improve the community.

How has the League’s Strategic Plan made an impact in the past, and how
do we think that Impact 2022 will move the JLW mission forward?

The League takes member feedback
and survey results to heart, and aims to make changes to effectively move the
mission forward. In recent years, JLW has implemented new programs,
opportunities, and systems to improve member experience and increase impact on
the community.

Some of these changes include:

Establishing volunteer placements outside of the
DC-city limits, such as A Wider Circle in Silver Spring;

Creating flexible training options such as remote
meetings and webinars;

Supporting leadership development through the
establishment of the Leadership Institute;

Increasing transparency with the nominating
process;

Growing the Sustainer liaison program; and

Offering the option to pay dues on a semiannual schedule.

The JLW Board, leadership, and
Strategic Planning Committee are committed to listening to the needs of the
members and the community, so that the League can continue make a significant
impact on the community, JLW’s brand, and the development of the League’s
members. Annual plans are one way that JLW members can set goals each year that
build off the Impact 2022 frame. The Strategic Planning Committee has a system in place that will help track progress towards the five-year plan
and help the League pivot to address changing needs and priorities.

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

JLW volunteers celebrate the 2016 National Book Festival with Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden.

The Junior League of Washington (JLW) is an organization of women
dedicated to improving the community through trained volunteer
service. JLW focuses its volunteer resources on improving literacy in and around Washington, DC. Since 2003, JLW has provided hundreds of trained volunteers each year to support the Library of Congress National Book Festival.
Over its 15 years of support for the festival, JLW volunteers will have
provided more than 40,000 volunteer hours, worth over $1.2 million, to
ensure that book lovers have a great time at the National Book Festival.

The following post is a Q&A with JLW
members Aileen Marquez and Tessa Wilkin about why JLW volunteers love
coming back to the National Book Festival year after year.

It’s the Junior League of Washington’s 15th year volunteering
for the Library of Congress’ National Book Festival. Why do you think
JLW volunteers look forward to this event?Aileen: “This is the first volunteer experience for most new
JLW members, so it’s an opportunity to meet other Junior League
volunteers. It’s also awesome to see how excited visitors are to share
their love of literacy.”Tessa: “We love the National Book Festival because it brings
hundreds of us from all across the organization together on one day to
support a cause close to our collective heart, literacy. It’s also the
first opportunity our newest members have to volunteer as a member of
the JLW. The energy and excitement from that first experience creates a
love for the festival that carries on into the future. NBF is like a JLW
family reunion.”

How many years have you been involved in the festival, and what keeps you coming back?Aileen:“This is my second-year volunteering. I
loved my time last year. Because it’s an experience that so many of us
share, it’s a great way to connect with other Junior League members.”Tessa:“This will be my 10th year volunteering at
the NBF. What keeps me coming back each year are the opportunities to
interact with the authors, the book-loving public, and my fellow JLW
volunteers. One day I’ll make the switch from festival volunteer to
festival attendee but that won’t be any time soon!”

What is your favorite thing about the festival?Aileen: “I love the Pavilion of States—it’s a great way to learn more about different states and their local authors.”Tessa: “I love being around so many fellow bibliophiles,
helping to make the festival a success for its authors and attendees,
and walking away with great book-inspired memories. A favorite memory
(besides the wedding proposal in the book-signing lines in 2012!) is
when I saw the long lines of people who wanted to meet the author of a
beloved book series I read in my childhood. I hadn’t met anyone else in
my life who had read the books so seeing 20 years later that I wasn’t
alone in my love, and that the author’s fans covered so many
generations, filled my heart with so much joy.”

Connect w/ JLW

JLW Website

Followers

Our Outreach

The Junior League of Washington (JLW) is an organization of women committed to honoring and celebrating diversity while focusing on shared values. The JLW strives to create an environment within the JLW in which any woman committed to improving her community, regardless of race, religion, or national origin, will feel welcome and be encouraged to join the JLW.

Our Vision

The Junior League of Washington strives to be a vibrant presence in the lives of the women and children in the greater metropolitan area of the District of Columbia, serving as a resource throughout the community to effect positive change, seek common ground, and inspire hope.